In Memoriam
by ghoulprincess
Summary: Where has StarClan gone?
1. Chapter 1

The air was thick with the smell of petrichor and mud, and the she-cat's paws slipped clumsily through the muck while she bolted as quickly as her legs could take her through the thickly-canopied mire. The fur along her spine and her tail were bristled and her ears were pinned to the back of her head as she ran, her sides heaving from the labor with which she sprinted and slid.

In her jaws she clutched a tiny mewling kit which writhed sside to side against her grasp; its sounds were drowned out by the waterfall that she was approaching, so she hoped that the sound and the heavily rain-scented air would hide them. Another she-cat carrying a kit between her teeth skidded to a stop briefly beside her, eyes wild and pelt just as prickly as hers. They had no time to speak, but they knew what they needed to do.

The kits' safety was their priority.

The black she-cat peered over the waterfall's edge, her heart hammering against her chest, her paws fidgeting with anxiety. She only realized as she dropped her kit down the rapids that her eyes were stinging because she was crying. "Drop him!" She meowed over the noise, turning her gaze to the she-cat beside her, "The rest of them are down there, they'll fetch them safely from the water!"

The calico shook her head only slightly, her eyes wide and body visibly quivering.

"Robinheart!" The black warrior hissed viciously, enough to regain the frightened calico's attention, "If you don't drop him, he'll definitely die here with us! Trust me, we need to give them enough time to flee!" She closed the gap between her and Robinheart, and the calico almost flinched away before the black she-cat gently rubbed her chin against Robinheart's jaw.

"I love you, Robinheart," her whisper was barely audible among the rumbling and crashing of the cascades.

The calico whimpered for only a heartbeat before firmly nodding to her lover. Legs trembling, she approached the edge and looked out over the drop; below, many mouse-lengths away, were their clanmates. One of them had already retrieved the kit that Blackthorn had dropped into the water below. Robinheart gulped, squeezed her eyes shut, and then released her kit into the waterfall.

"They're here," Blackthorn whispered, and Robinheart whipped around, growling. From the undergrowth of the marsh burst ten rogues, each with a coy smile on their muzzle, amused by the two she-cats' visible and pungent fear. Blackthorn pressed her flank to Robinheart's and muttered a gentle 'I love you'.

A ginger tom emerged from the group of rogues, "Well, if it isn't the two thieves from CascadeClan. Blackthorn," he glanced at the black she-cat as he said her name, then turned his stare to the calico, "Robinheart. Do you two have any last words before we end your miserable lives?" Behind him, his allies cawed with laughter.

"Yes," Blackthorn growled as she stepped ahead of her mate, and then shielded her by standing in front of her, "If I catch you in the afterlife, I'll tear you _limb _from _limb_!"

She met his gaze, but he was eerily silent for a couple heartbeats before his muzzle broke out into a chilly smile, "Let's devour them, my friends." The nine others that circled him chanted 'devour' as though they were merely his echoes. From behind Blackthorn, Robinheart screeched and shivered, her fear-scent burning the air like smoke from a fire.

With just a flick of his tail, Sun set his companions upon the two. He watched, grinning, as his allies ripped them apart; when they were done, all that was left of Blackthorn and Robinheart were the canvasses of their skeletons, chunks of meat and clumps of fur, and scattered organs. His cronies parted for him as he approached their carcasses.

Sun snapped one paw down and curled his claw over Blackthorn's intestine, hooking it with the sharp curve of his claw. On his mouth was a malicious grin as he pawed the intestine up to sink his teeth in. Blood dripped down from his chin.

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**hello, thank you for reading! i'd love if you left a review if you liked it! thanks for reading, it really encourages me! UvU**


	2. Chapter 2

** snidely: hey there, thanks for the review, it's what gave me motivation to write more of this, hee hee. i'm flattered you think i write well, that made my day really!**

**if you like this story and would like to see more, please r&amp;r! i really appreciate all the views, thank you so much. also, i rewrote a little bit of chapter one!**

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Outside of the cozy warmth of the nursery, the camp clearing was howling with icy and biting leafbare winds. The entire grassy and muddy slough of CascadeClan territory was now enshrouded with a pure white snow that was so bright it brought tears to the cats' eyes if they stared too long. The trees of the marsh looked like ghostly peaks reaching for the pastel blue, cloudless sky.

Within the queens' den, a kit squirmed violently against the mothers, wailing and screeching as loud as her little lungs could muster. She was one of the only three kits that was brave enough to revolt… Nightkit was the only kit in the nursery who'd lost nearly everything. There was no way she'd relieve her brother without unleashing her tiny fury.

The trio of queens exchanged panicked glances while their kits beheld the spectacle that Nightkit wrought. None of them wanted to see the rest of their littermates go either, but all of them with the exception of Nightkit were too terrified of the Solars to say and much less do anything rebellious.

Finally, with a saddened sigh, a fluffy brown tabby queen pounced on the runt black kit who gave a last frightened yowl. As gently as she could, Beetlefang snatched Nightkit up by her scruff and then forced her left paw into the kit's mouth. Nightkit spat and heaved, but she made much less noise than before.

"Please keep her from watching," a pale cream tabby by the name of Amberbreeze quietly meowed, never turning her light-green gaze from the spectacle happening in the middle of camp, "I'll tell you about everything that happens, just please keep Nightkit away."

Beetlefang nodded solemnly, then twisted herself around so that Nightkit could no longer see outside of the nursery. She gazed down at Nightkit, her face blank but her heart feeling like it had been torn to pieces. The creases of Nightkit's eyes were red and wet from tears, and there were dark streaks of damp fur along the underside of the bridge of her nose.

Amberbreeze glanced at Beetlefang one last time before turning her full attention back to the center of their camp. Nightkit's brother, Crowkit, sat among the snow like a small speck of ash. He was quivering, huddled down as far as he could, wildly looked around but scared to silence so that he could not call out for his clanmates.

From the leader's den a ginger tom exited, strutting out into the glade with his head and tail high. Sun looked around at the CascadeClan cats with contempt burning in his copper eyes and his pink nose held upward. The fur along Beetlefang's spine and tail rose as she watched him, hatred boiling up at the pit of her stomach.

"Our thanks to you, CascadeClan!" Sun bellowed as nine other cats exited out after him. "We graciously accept your offering," the tom looked down at Crowkit and then sneered, "Such obedient and generous acolytes. Dear tiny one, you have such an important and significant role." He beamed down at the black kit, his expression easily passable as 'kind'.

Three cats off to Sun's right, a golden tabby tom spoke up, smiling at Crowkit sweetly, "If this kit is as half as good as his mother was, then the sacrifice will have been fruitful."

Silence draped the CascadeClan camp, heavy and lengthy. Crowkit began to back away from the Solars, his little legs trembling so bad that Amberbreeze could see every twitch from where she was. She could guess that the Solars could see it as well, because each and every one of them were snickering as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen.

The moment Crowkit turned around to race away, a gray she-cat jumped out from the line of Solars and slammed the black kit on the ground as her weight crushed down upon him. The other Planets approached, all smiling slightly as they watched Neptune tear a chunk out of Crowkit's shoulder. Amberbreeze gasped and slunk away into the nursery, her heart pounding. She couldn't bring herself to watch them Devour.

Beetlefang was no longer holding tight to Nightkit; the she-kit was motionless, crumpled up in the corner of the nursery covered in shadows. It felt like Amberbreeze had been struck through the heart just by looking at her.


End file.
